Switch machine for railroads



March 3, 1931. w k, HWE 1,194,621

` SWITCH MACHINE Foa `RAILROADS Filed Aug. 26, 1929 5 Flfcahl.` y Hr if Patented lMar. f 3, y1;,931

wrivrnnoi'it;frown,forineonnsrnnjNav/'renie kAssrenoue.me ernennt nAiL'WAY f i I .SrGNAnjoorrrANi ornoeri'ns'rnn, NEW. vonk' f 5 swireii'MAorirNE 'ronsnerrinoiins Appii'catioii inea Augustesjieze; semi No; 388,436.'

This invention relates. in general ,to track.

t Vferred to application, to bring about the iindesirablel condition inrwhich the switch points 4can' be left in mid-position."` This is of course vundesirable and whileit never occurs in the normal operation'of the selector, it is a'remote possibility as vjust pointed out; ,v

The present invention provides' means for positively assuring against faulty manipulation by the operator making possible va eondition whereinthe switch pointscan be leftlin mid-position. This is accomplished by.pro viding an linterlock between the selector lever and the hand throw lever making'it impossible to operateA the `selector Llever unless the hand throw lever'be in one or the other of its eXtreme positions and more important, mak# ing it impossible to 'operate the hand throw lever unless theselector lever is in the hand operating position, as distinguished from its motor operating position.v`v i Y :Further objects, purposes and'characteristie features of this invention will appear as yselector leversfroin its shown position,for Y the ,description progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawings showing,

solely by way of example, and inl no manner,

whatsoever" in aA limiting sense, onerform 40 which the invention can assume;

In the drawings y n Fig; 1 is a plan viewof vstricture embodying the present' invention, with parts shown iny section. Y f p y i5 Fig. 2is a side elevation, with partsshown in section.

Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view, with parts s hownin elevation, of the interlock between the selector and hand throw levers.

53 Referring now tothe ldrawings, there isshown in Figs. 1 and 2, in much the saine maiivner as 'shown in the corresponding `figures in the above referred to Howe application, hand *operated and powerv` operated means for .tI'iiOWiiiga track switch.

. Mounted .to rotate on a shaft 14, is hand driven gearll, eonnectedhup with a hand throw lever HT whereby swinging `of lthe lever HTthrough. an are ofapproXimately 210", rotates gear 11 suffieientlyto ,throw a track switchv from normal to reverse, -or vice versa, vifgear 1l be .connected up to Vdrive vshaft 14.

Likewise there is shown a` gear l5eonnected up to ay motor, not shown, and arranged yto ldrive a gear l6,Which in turn drives a gear 7,

which is furnished with a clutch member B, the clutch member B and the gear 7 being mounted to rotate on shaft 14; -Here again, gear 7, when coupled up to drive 'shaft 14, can throw a track switch from normal to reverse or vice versa. 1 5 Q `Slidably, but non-rotatably mounted `on shaft 14', is a shiftable clutch member C, ar-

--ranged to couple up either the hand driven clutch member A., or the motor driven clutch i'nemberV B, to drive the shaft 14. It should Abe noted that the Lshiftable clutch memberiC is, so arrangedas to uncouple withv 'one of the clutch members A and B, only after it has coupled'with the other clutch member B 011A. c The shiftable elutch'member C.. is slidably `shifted on shaft 14,- by means of a fork member V27 and spring operators 36 and 37, by:

ineansiof the selector lever S.v On moving example, to a position appi'oiriinately 1800 therefrom, the clutch ineinberrC isriiioved t from its shown position, for .motor operadrive is arranged, asdeseribed in ltheabove yreferred to application to Howe, andas shown in the present drawings, to bias the shiftable clutch member C in the desired direction, whereby, if theA member A or B' as thel case may be, is not in proper position for immediate engagement With- C, when it` yso 'so v cause the desired engagement.

has been rotated into proper position for engagement, the spring drive will immediately Y* switch, the hand throw lever HT beileft undisturbed. If the hand'throw lever be operated, however, it will merely rotate vgear 11, and attached clutch member A, idly onV shaft 14. y 1

@n throwing the selector lever S to its other extreme position, for permitting hand operation `of the track switch, it is assumed that the .motor be not operated, and in -order to assure that it is not so operated, means for breaking the energizing `circuit for Athe switch-machine motor has been provided, as explained in' the `above referred to application.

llVfhile not at all likely, it is possible, with a particular manner 'of manipulation ofthe selector lever S and the hand throw lever HT, occurring simultaneouslywvith power od of the motor, toaccidently leave thetrack switch with` its points in mid-position, and, of course, unlocked. V

As in the Howe application, 354,039, the power operationof the track switch unlocks, throws, and then again locks up the switch. With hand opera-tion, `on the initial operation, the track switch is unlocked, then thrown,and on su'bsequenthaaid operations, due yto lost motion arrangements, the track switch is only thrown. Thus, in hand operation, the hand operated clutch meuf-ther A is moved through a .smaller .operative angle than is the motor operated clutch member B.

Therefore, normally after hand operating the track switch, as voccasion xofiten'arises as, for instance, in ldispatching systems `to so operate the switch Aby `hand even though energy is available for power operation, on then throwing lever S over for power ope-ration, the slidable clutch member C 'is out of registry with the power operated clutch member B. Tf'energy be vavail-able at Vthat moment for themotor, that is, ifzthe block be unoccupied, or if .power .does not fail for any other reason, the motor is energized,

and after idly mov-ing its clutch -member C a short angular distance, this clutch linember B picks up slidable clutch member C which has been spring biased toward it by the selectorlev'er S, and completes the throwing of the switch vand the locking `up of the switch.

If energy fails on the motor, however,

`when the operator lchanges over from-hand operation to power :operationby moving"the selector. leverV S to power'operating position, he 1s very likely,ron getting no operation,

to attempt to throw the switch by hand, by

. switch) tothe position in which it can enf lgage with the motor operated clutch member B, atwhich time it disengagedVV from A and engages with B, with the operator very likely completing the throw of hand throw levern HT and not realizing that he has lost operative connection with the track switch,

and hence'has Anot thrown it as he believes.

Itis to beassumed, of course, `that an operator,'after throwing the selector lever S to the position for motor operation Vof the track switch, will not operaite the hand throw lever. Should heV so .operate the han-Cl throw lever, however., :the above undesirable condition may be brought about.'

To positively guard against the ,switch points being moved .to michposition' and lei-t there, the interlocking means, shown in detail in Fig. 3, is provided.

Between the hub t0 of lever S, yand the hub 41 of Ilever HT, is a fixed plate member 42, slidably carrying a lock dog 43 of a length slightly greater? than the thicknessV Vof .plate 4Q. Provided in hub 40 is yanote-h 44 for at times. receiving one end .of lock .dog 43., while in hub 41 are provided diagonally opposite notches 45 vand '46 for likewise receiving, at times, one .end of lock dog 213.

. In the position of parts shown in Figs. 1 3, the selector lever S is placed for motor opera-tion ofthe throw rod TR. AS clearly seen from Figl, lock dog 413 has been forced,

by hub 40, into vnotch 45 .of hub 4l .ofha-nd l' throw lever HT, whereby to lockthe hand throw lever against any operation whatsoever. Thus, when selector lever S is -i-nrfthe position for Emotor operation of Athe track switch, .an operator is powerless to manipulateY the fha-nd'throwv lever HT.

On throwing the selector lever S to its other'extreme position, the vhand vopera-.ting

position, ynotch l-i in hub t0 comes in fline with lock dog 43,1whereby hand throw lever HT canybe operated to .operate the track Switch, lock dog vbeing forced into the notch 44 and out ,of notch 45 or 46 as the case may be.4 y

In the above 1nanner,aig1 interlock .between i i vthe hand throw lever HT, and the selector lever S, is provided, which prevents operation of the hand throw lever unless theselector lever is y.positfi oiled for hand operation, i

and furthermore prevents moving ofthe-selecztm lever unless the handthrow lever s'in one or the .other of its ext-,reine 'positions The above `.ifether specie .description of. Va i device embodying-:this invention., is given jf solely byv way of illustration, and is not in-V tended, in any manner whatsoever, in a limiting sense. Obviously, this invention can assume many different physical forms, and is susceptible of various modifications, and all such forms and modiflcationsare desired to be included by this invention, as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, now claim: V 'Y q l. In combination, in a switch operator selector, a switch throw rod,ahand operable drive member, a Vpower operable drive member, a clutch having a member'movable to connect up the throw rod to either the hand'or the poweroperable drive member, a selector for moving the movable clutch member, and means preventing operation of the hand operable drive member unless the selector is in its hand operable position.

Q. In combination, in .a'dual selector for the operationof a trackswitch either by hand or by power, a selector movable to either of two positions for respectively permitting switch operation by hand or by power, a hand Voperated member for operating .the track switch, and interlocking means between the hand operated member yand the selector whereby to prevent operation of the hand operated member unless the selector' is inthe position corresponding to hand operation of` the switch.

3. In combination, in a dual selector for the operation of a track switch either by hand or by power, a selector movable to either of i two positionsk for respectively permitting switch operation by hand or by power, Va

hand operated member for operating the track switch, and interlocking` means between the hand operated member and the selector whereby `to prevent operation of the hand operated member unless the selector is in the position corresponding to hand operation of the switch, said interlocking means operating to prevent movement of the selector unless the hand operable member is in either one of its eXtreme positions corresponding to the completely thrown positions of the track switch. i

V4. In combination, in a dual selector for the operation of a track switch by hand or by power, a selector movable to either' of'two positions for respectively permitting switch operation by hander by power, a hand operated member for operating the track switch,

and interlocking means between the hand operated member and the selector whereby to prevent operation of the hand operated member unless the selector is in the position corresponding to hand operation of the switch, the interlocking means including a member movable Ywith the hand operated member, a member movable with the selector, a fixed member carrying a projecting lock dog, and notches in the members connected to the sepositions for respectively lpermitting switch operation by hand orvby power, a hand oper-'y ated member for operating the track switch,

and interlocking means between the hand op# erated member and the selector whereby to prevent operation of thev hand operated mem-` ber unless the selectoris in the position corresponding to hand operation of theswitch,

said interlocking means operatingto prevent movement of the selector unless the handk operable member is in either one of its'eX- treme positions corresponding to the completely thrown positions of the track switch,

rthe interlocked means including a member movable with'the hand operated member, a member movable with the selector, a iXed member carrying a projectingr lock dog, and notches in the members connected to the selector and the handV operated member for at i times receiving said lock dog.Y

.6. `In combination with a throw rod for op,- erating a' track switch, a hand operated member and a power driven member for optionally lmoving the throw rod, a selector movable to eitherr of two extreme positions for connecting up the throw rod to be operated either by hand or by power, and means preventing operation of the hand Operated mem- 'ber unless the selector be in its hand operating position. n V

7. In combination with a throw rod for operating a track switch, a hand operated member and a power driven member for optionally moving the throw rod, a selector movable to either' of two extreme positions for connecting up the throw rod to be operated either by hand or by power, and interlocking means between the hand operated., and power driven, members.

8. In combination with a throw rod for operating a track switch, a hand operated member and a power driven member for optionally moving the throw rod, a selector movable to either of two eXtreme positions for connecting up the throw rod to be operated either by hand or by power, and means preventing operation ojithe hand operated member unless the selec-tor be in its hand operating position, the hand operating-member being m-ovable to either of two extreme positions corresponding to the completely thrown positions of a track switch, said interlocking means preventing movement of the selector unless the hand operated member be in one of its eXtreme positions. l In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

VVINTHROP K. HOVVE.'

llli 

